Device for pressing coke out of an oven chamber of a coke oven

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a device for pressing coke out of an oven chamber of a coke oven, comprising an axially movable pressing rod and a pressing head arranged on the pressing rod at the end of the pressing rod. According to the present disclosure, the pressing head is supported on the pressing rod in such a way that the pressing head can be rotated about a horizontal axis. Furthermore, a swiveling device is provided in order to swivel the pressing head about the horizontal axis and thereby to adjust the vertical orientation of the pressing head to a possible inclined oven position of the oven chamber.

The invention relates to a device for pushing coke out of an oven chamber of a coke oven, with an axially adjustable push rod and a push head arranged on the end side of the push rod.

The coke oven is a central part of a coking plant and, in the customary constructional form of a horizontal oven, has a plurality of oven chambers which are arranged next to one another and form what is referred to as a battery of ovens. The oven chambers are generally several meters high and deep and have a width of less than one meter. They are arranged between heating flues in which gases are burned and, in the process, heat the oven walls of the oven chambers. A push machine operates on one side of the battery of ovens, the “machine side”. Said push machine has the task of pushing the finished coke cake out of the oven chambers for further processing. For this purpose, use is made of the device described at the beginning. The push rod of the device can be of multi-part design in order to be able to travel through the depth of an oven chamber when pushing the coke.

In particular in the case of older coke ovens, the oven chambers may have a slight oblique position, wherein the oblique positions of the oven chambers arranged next to one another can add up within the battery of ovens. The term “oblique position” indicates an angular deviation in relation to the horizontal looking from the machine side. The oblique position of the chambers increases in the end regions of a battery of coke ovens and may result in the upper end of the oven chamber wall and the lower end of the oven chamber wall of an oven chamber being offset by several centimeters.

A possible oblique position of the chamber, which may be different from oven chamber to oven chamber of a battery of ovens, provides problems during the pushing out of the coke, since, depending on the size of the oblique position of the chamber, the push head of the coke pushing-out device when moving through an oven chamber comes into contact with the oven walls of the oven chamber and may cause damage to the chamber walling. Furthermore, there is the risk of the push head striking against a coke cake guide adapted to the oblique position of the oven chamber and of damaging said coke cake guide.

Against this background, it is the object of the invention to specify a device for pushing coke out of an oven chamber of a coke oven, which device, in the event of a possible oblique position of the chamber, does not cause any damage to the walling or equipment within the oven chamber and, consequently, permits a correct and reliable operation of the coke oven even in the case of older coke ovens.

The invention relates to, and this object is achieved by, a device for pushing coke out of an oven chamber of a coke oven as claimed in claim 1.

According to the invention, the push head of the device is mounted on the push rod so as to be rotatable about a horizontal axis and, furthermore, a pivoting device is provided in order to pivot the push head about the horizontal axis and, as a result, to adapt the vertical alignment of the push head to a possible oblique position of the oven chamber. According to the invention, a bearing arrangement with at least one axial bearing and at least one supporting bearing for the mounting of a shaft connected to the push head is provided within the push rod, and the pivoting device is in the form of a spindle drive and has a rotatably mounted spindle and a threaded nut which is arranged on the spindle and which is connected to the push head. The threaded nut is connected, preferably in an articulated manner, to a lever arranged on the rear side of the push head. The spindle drive is preferably arranged on an outer surface of the push rod in the vicinity of the push head.

By means of the device according to the invention, it is possible to adapt the vertical alignment of the push head to deviations of the oven chamber walls in relation to a perpendicular axis such that the push head, on moving through the oven chamber, does not come into contact with the oven walls and/or a coke cake guide.

The push head is connected in a suitable manner to the push rod so as to be rotatable about a horizontal axis. The rotatable mounting takes place, for example, by means of a pivot which rotatably connects the push rod and the push head.

The pivoting device can be arranged on an outer surface of the push rod and can act on a lever connected to the push head. The arrangement on the outside has the advantage of easy accessibility and possibility of maintenance. However, it also lies within the scope of the invention for the pivoting device to be arranged within a push-rod end section designed as a hollow body. This arrangement has the advantage of the greatest possible protection against mechanical damage and action of heat when the push head moves through an oven chamber.

In another advantageous refinement of the invention, the pivoting device has a push wedge which is movable in a translatory manner and acts on a counter surface arranged on the rear side of the push head. This refinement is suitable in particular for installation in the push rod. The pivoting device expediently also has an actuator which can be designed as a hydraulic drive, electromechanical drive or linear drive. A connecting rod can be provided between the push wedge and the actuator. Said connecting rod makes it possible to position the actuator for producing the translatory movements of the push wedge in a rear push-rod end facing away from the push head while the actuator is arranged protected against mechanical and thermal actions and is accessible for maintenance purposes.

In a variant embodiment of the invention, the pivoting device is assigned an external actuator which, before the beginning of a coke pushing-out operation, is couplable to the pivoting device for the purpose of correcting the position. After the vertical alignment of the push head has been adapted to a possible oblique position of the oven chamber, the external actuator is decoupled and the coke pushing-out operation begun.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the actuator executes program-controlled adjustment movements and is connected to a machine controller in which values regarding the sloping position of oven chambers of a battery of coke ovens are stored. The machine controller is programmable in such a manner that the push head is adapted to the oblique position of the respective oven chamber before the beginning of a coke pushing-out operation, wherein individual values for the oblique position from oven chamber to oven chamber of a battery of coke ovens can be taken into consideration.

The invention is explained below with reference to exemplary embodiments, in which, schematically

FIG. 1 shows the side view of a device for pushing out coke,

FIG. 2 shows the section A-A from FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 shows an apparatus for actuating a pivoting device of the device illustrated in FIG. 1 before the beginning of the coke pushing-out operation,

FIG. 4 shows a second exemplary embodiment of the device according to the invention in a side view,

FIG. 5 shows the section B-B from FIG. 4,

FIG. 6 shows a third exemplary embodiment of a device according to the invention in a side view,

FIG. 7 shows the section C-C from FIG. 6.

The device illustrated in FIG. 1 serves for pushing coke out of an oven chamber of a coke oven. The device has an axially adjustable push rod 1 with a push head 2 arranged on the end side of the push rod 1. The push rod 1 is axially adjusted, for example, by means of a pinion 3 which meshes with a rack 4 arranged on the push rod 1. The push head 2 is mounted on the push rod 1 so as to be rotatable about a horizontal axis 5. Furthermore, a pivoting device 6 is provided in order to pivot the push head 2 about the horizontal axis 5 and, as a result, to adapt the vertical alignment of the push head to a possible oblique position of the oven chamber.

A bearing arrangement 7 with at least one axial bearing 8 and a supporting bearing 9 for the mounting of a shaft connected to the push head 2 is provided within the push rod 1. In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1, the pivoting device 6 is arranged on an outer surface of the push rod 1 and acts on a lever 11 connected to the push head 2. In the exemplary embodiment, the pivoting device 6 is designed as a spindle drive and has a rotatably mounted spindle 12 and a threaded nut 20 which is arranged on the spindle 12 and is connected to the lever 11 arranged on the rear side of the push head 2. By means of adjustment movements of the spindle drive, the push head 2 according to the illustration of FIG. 2 can be pivoted to the left and right about an angle α, and as a result, adapted to a possible oblique position of the oven chamber walls.

The push head 2 is aligned before the beginning of a coal pushing-out operation. In a starting position of the push rod 1, the pivoting device 6 is connected for this purpose to an actuator 13 which is movable on the machine side on a track in front of the oven chambers of the coke oven and, according to the illustration of FIG. 3, is couplable to the pivoting device 6. In the exemplary embodiment, the actuator 13 has a rotary motor 14 with an encoder 15 and is connected to a machine controller (not illustrated) in which values regarding the oblique position of oven chambers of the battery of coke ovens are stored. By means of the external actuator 13, the push head 2 is adapted in the rest position thereof to the oblique position of the chamber before the beginning of the coke pushing-out operation.

According to a further exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, the pivoting device 6 is arranged within an end section of the push rod 1, which end section is designed as a hollow body. The pivoting device 6 is hydraulically actuable and has a push wedge 16 which is movable in a translatory manner and acts on a counter surface 17 arranged on the rear side of the push head 2. The arrangement has axial guides 18, 18′ which are arranged on both sides of the wedge surface of the push wedge 16. The wedge surface and the axial guides 18, 18′ of the arrangement are arranged in a protected manner within the push rod 1 in the form of a hollow body. The push wedge 16 which is movable in a translatory manner is connected by a connecting rod 19 to an actuator 13′ which is arranged at the push-rod end facing away from the push head 2 and, in the exemplary embodiment, consists of a hydraulic cylinder. Alternatively, the actuator 13′ can also be designed as a linear drive or electromechanical drive. The actuator 13′ can be connected to a machine controller (not illustrated) in which values regarding the sloping position of oven chambers of a battery of coke ovens are stored. By means of program-controlled adjustment movements of the pivoting device 6, the push head 2 of the coke pushing-out device can be adapted to possible oblique positions of the oven chambers of a battery of coke ovens, wherein individual adaptations from oven chamber to oven chamber are possible.

In a third exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, the pivoting device has an eccentric arrangement 21 with an adjustment lever 22 and an adjustment eccentric 23. The adjustment eccentric interacts with counter surfaces 24 on the rear side of the push head 2. The adjustment lever 22 is connected, with the interconnection of a connecting rod 19, to an adjustment drive 13′ which executes linear adjustment movements and has, for example, a hydraulic cylinder with a travel-measuring apparatus. 

1-10. (canceled)
 11. A device for pressing coke out of an oven chamber of a coke oven, comprising: an axially adjustable pressing rod; a pressing head coupled to a first end of said pressing rod and rotatable about a horizontal axis; a pivoting device in the form of a spindle drive having a rotatably mounted spindle and a threaded nut disposed on said spindle that is connected to said pressing head, said pivoting device being operatively coupled to said pressing head and configured to selectively permit the pivoting of said pressing head about the horizontal axis so as to adjust a vertical orientation of said pressing head to match an inclined chamber position of the oven chamber; a bearing assembly disposed in said first end of said pressing rod and including at least one axial bearing and at least one support bearing; a shaft having a first end disposed within said at least one mounting bearing and at least one support bearing, and a second opposing end extending from said first end of said pressing rod, said pressing head being coupled to said second end of said shaft.
 12. The device of claim 11, further comprising: a lever having a first end and a second end, the first end of said lever being connected to said pressing head and the second end of said lever being operatively coupled to said pivoting device, wherein said pivoting device is disposed on an outer surface of said pressing rod and is configured to apply a force to said second end of said lever coupled thereto.
 13. The device of claim 11, wherein at least one end-side section of said pressing rod is a hollow body within which said pivoting device is disposed.
 14. The device of claim 11, wherein said pivoting device includes a thrust wedge that is movable and acts on a counterpart surface disposed on a rear side of said pressing head.
 15. The device of claim 11, wherein said pivoting device has an eccentric arrangement.
 16. The device of claim 11, wherein said pivoting device includes a positioning drive.
 17. The device of claim 11, wherein said pivoting device includes an external positioning drive configured to be coupled to the pivoting device to correct a position of said pressing head prior to the start of a process of pressing coke out of an oven chamber of a coke oven.
 18. The device of claim 16, wherein said positioning drive is in communication with a machine controller from which values relating to inclined positions of oven chambers of a coke oven battery are communicated, and wherein said positioning drive is configured to accept input signals from said controller and perform program-controlled positioning movements. 